Process of making turn shoes



June 12, 1928. 1,673,784

L. V. GROVER ET AL PROCESS OF MAKING TURN SHOES Filed Feb. 12, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet l L 77,68,070 VT 6 rover.

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June 12, 1928. 1,673,784

L. v. GROVER ET AL PROCESS OF MAKING TURN SHOES Filed. Feb. 12, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 y f 77/ve71/t'0 7" QGZ W@M baa-Jigs:

Patented June 12, 1928.

UNITED STATES PATENT oFFicE. l

LYNDON GBOVER AND FRANK SARRA, OF LYNN, AND ADELBERT A. DURKEE, OF STONEHAM, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNORS TO 3'. J GROVERS SONS COMPANY, OF LYNN, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS. I

PROCESS OF MAKING TURN SHOES.

Application filed February 12, 1925. Serial No. 8,705.

This invention pertains to foot wear and more particularly to turn shoes and to any improved process of making the same.

Principal objects of the invention are to provide a turn shoe which truly conforms in shape and size to the last upon which it was made; to produce a shoe having a lining substantially free from wrinkles and capable of sustaining its share atleast of the expansive'stressesof use; to provide a shoe having a reinforced or backed upper wherein the reinforce or backing material free from wrinkles and is strong and heavy enough to enable it substantially to relieve the outer member of the upper of the stresses incident to wear; to provide a turn shoe having a sole whose inner surface is freer from inequalities than the soles of turn shoes made by usual methods, and to provide a practical and ready method of producing a shoe having the desired characteristics. I r

In making turn shoes in accordance with the usual processes the upper, which is commonly of multi-ply constructionincluding several superposed pieces of substantially the same configuration, for example an outer member of leather, satin or other suitable material, a lining consisting of thin leather or textile fabric, and one or more interposed layers of reinforce material, is turned wrong side out before lasting so that when applied to the last that ply or layer-of the upper, usually leather, which is eventually to constitute the outer surface of the shoe lies in direct contact with the last. I

The lasting operation strains the upper tightly over the last and the lower edges of the several plies of the upper which previously have been unconnected are now simultaneously united to the sole by a sewed inseam spaced justinside of the edge of the sole. The surplus material of the upper projecting from the inseam is now trimmed off and the shoe is turned right side out so that the layer or ply of the upper which engaged the last during the lasting operation becomes the outer member of the shoe, while the lining, which during lasting and sewing was the exposed outer member of the upper, now fori'ns the interior surface of the upper.

If the upper, including its several plies or layers be of substantial thickness, it is manifest that the lining which is Wrapped. around the othermembers of the upper during the lasting operation must necessarily be 1 of greater circumferential extent than that of the ply of the upper which'was in direct contact with the last. Theresult of this is that when the shoe is turned the lining be comes slack, thus producing unsightly nated, cause discomfort'to the wearer and prevent the lining fromcarrying any substantial part of the expansive pressure of use.

- To enable the manufacturer to employ the thinn er and cheaper grades of leather in shoe uppers it s common to reinforce the leather by pasting a backing or interlining of tex-.

, blers, which may or may not be cemented to the backing, are employed to impart a plumper appearance and better feel to the leather.

What hasbeen said above with respect to the lining is also true, although to a lesser extent, of the reinforce material, which after turning tends to become slack and wrinkle and pipe or separate from the outer layer. While the Wrinkles produced in a lining mayto a certain extent be removed super ficially by, subsequent smoothing operations, it is impossible to take out the wrinkles or bunches occurring in the reinforce as the latter is in a wholly inaccessible position between the outer member and ,lining.

Although this fullness of the reinforce with its resultant Wrinkles is serious from the standpoint of comfort, it is far more serious in its relation to the wear and shape retaining qualities of the shoe. It .is evident that if the reinforce material be slacker than the outer membervit can afford little if any support to the latter until the outer member has become so stretched beyond its intended size and shape as to take up the slack in the reinforce, and since the principal purpose of the reinforce is to relieve the relatively tender outer member of the strains ofexpansion incident to use, the ap plication of the backing or reinforce to the wrinkles which, unless they can be elimiupper of a shoe made by the ordinary turn process is of little utility except possibly to improve the appearance and feel of the upper.

Moreover although the lining may be strong and substantial and well able to bear a part of the expansive stress, it also is so'slack actually, .even though the wrinkle may have been rubbed smooth, as to escape any. substantial part of its share in the duty of opposing the expansive forces of wear, and the entire strain is thus thrown upon theouter member of the upper which is not intended to carry any such load.

In accordance with usualprocesses the shoe is relastedimmediately upon turning by forcing a last into it and as the tempered shoe dries upon th-e last it shrinks and assumes substantially its final form. When the last is afterward withdrawn, a sock-lining, shank piece, and sometimes other elements are inserted in the shoe and secured to the upper surface of the sole to impart a finishedappearance, with the result that the actual size of the space inside the shoe becomes less than that supposedly determined by the last upon which it was made.

Furthermore, since no filling material is ordinarily employed in the turned shoe to level the central portion of the sole inside the inseam, the bottom of the shoe, even after the introduction of the sock lining and shank piece, is frequently uneven and un comfortable and this is often accentuated by the curling and wrinkling of portions of the channel. lip and the ragged edges of the inseam when subjected to the heat and mois ture of the foot.

With the above specific objects in view, and with the general purpose of avoiding those particular defects and deficiencies in shoes of the turnvariety which have already been pointed out the present invention resides in the features hereinafter more fully described and claimed and to assist in a proper understanding of the invention ref-- erence may be had to the accompanying drawings which illustrate by way of ex ample certain preferred steps advantageously employedin manufacturing a shoe in accordance with the present improved process together with details of construction of the resulting shoe.

Referring to the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a side elevation showing the improved shoe at the} completion of" the lasting process and at the beginning of the formation of the inseam, certain parts of the upper being broken away to show un derlying plies thereof;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same shoe after the completion of the inseam and after theshoe has been turned and removed from the last, the lining being shown drawn Fig. 8 is a fragmentary longitudinal versock lining and shankpiece preferably employed in making the improved shoe;

Fig. :6 is .a transverse section to larger scale on the line 6--6 of Fig. 5;

F ig. 7 is a plan view of the completed shoe with the sock lining and shank piece in .posi-, tion, the rear part of theupper being drawn away laterally to exhibit the interior surfaces;

Fig. 8 is a lqottom view of the shoe shown in Fig. 7;

Fig. 9 is a transverse section onthe line 99 of Fig. 7 to larger scale; and

Fig. 10 is a similar section on the line 1010 of Fig. 7.

Referring to the drawings, the numerall designates the shoe sole having amar-ginal lip spaced from its edge, such lip being formed for example by channeling the sole to produce a channel for the reception of the tin-seam stitches. In accordance with usual methods of lasting turn shoes, this sole is placed with its wear surface against the bottom of thelast 2 and is secured temporarilythereto by tacks or other usual securing means. A counter is shown at C in Fig. l as applied to the rearendof the last.

The upper 3 as usual comprises a lining l. a backing or interlining 5 and an, outer member v7. The lining may also comprise atoe stiffener 6 interposed between the lining and the reinforce or backing material 7. .The lining 4 as here illustrated comprises a forward portion of textile fabric and a rear portion 8 of thin leather, forexample, sheepskin, which is secured to the forward portion of the lining by means of a sewed seam 9. The various parts of the upper are stitched together in the usual manner, forming seamssuch as 10 and 11, andafter the parts of the upper have thus been assembled and united the upper is turned inside out.

In accordance with the present process the lining 4 is slit or gashed inwardlyfrom its edge as indicated at 12 and 13 respectively at point-s at either side of the toe of the upper. These slits are preferably formed in the general neighborhood of the rear edges of the toe stiffener or toe box if the latter be employed, but their, location may be varied within wide limits.

The shoe .may now be lasted by pulling the upper tightly over the last, the free unconnected lower margins of the several plies of the upper being drawn up onto the bottom loo of the last and secured by tacks 1 1, but in accordance with the present process the edge of the inner ply or lining 4; is left free from the last except at its forward portion l which is drawn over the last with the other parts of the upper in usual manner and temporarily held in position by tacks as above described.

Prior to or after the lasting operation the portions of the lining rearward of the slits or gashes 12 and 13 are turned down as shown in Fig. 1 and the upper and the channel lip of the sole are united by the sewed inseam 16 whose stitches are disposed within the channel beneath the channel lip and which when completed extends entirely around the circumference of the shoe. During the sewing operation the rear part of the lining remains turned down so that it is not bound in to the inseam except at the toe of the shoe.

After the sewing operation is completed the surplus marginal portions of the upper projecting beyond the inseam are trimmed off in usual manner, the last is withdrawn, and after the sole has been properly moistened or tempered, the shoe is turned right side out in the usual manner.

The lining is now pulled up and out of the shoe as indicated in Fig. 2 so that the unattached lower edge 15 of the lining occupies the posit-ion shown in the latter ligure. material 5 as shown clearly in Fig. 3 at all points except within the extreme toe of the shoe and this reinforce or backing may now be smoothed and freed from wrinkles in accordance with any desired process. At the same time the toe stiffener 6 may be shaped in accordance with usual methods to the desired form.

The inner surface of the sole of the shoe is next coated heavily with a suitable adhesive which is caused to penetrate the channel of the sole and thoroughly to impregnate the between substance at the inseam.

The loose lower portion or flaps 17 and 18 of the lining are now pushed back into the shoe and laid in taut overlapping relation as shown at 18 in Fig. 4 upon the adhesive inner surface of the sole, the double thickness of lining thus produced being disposed This exposes the backing or reinforce with a loop or staple 26 located at the extreme end of the sock lining where it will not interfere with the comfort of the wearer.

After the flaps of the lining have been overlapped. upon the upper surface of the sole so as to cover the inseam and to form a filler for the upper surface of the sole, thebottoms of the sock lining and shank piece are coated with cement and by'means. of a suitable instrument engaging'the loop. 20 of the sock lining, the latter, together with the shank, is pushed into the shoe until the sock lining is properly positioned within the toe portion of the latter. The rear end of the shank piece is next attached to the sole by means of tacks 26 and a rivet 27 is passed through the shank piece, steel, overlapping portions of the lining and the sole 1 of the shoe and is headed over so as to secure these parts permanently together.

The shoe is now relasted by pushing the last straight forward into the shoe, the forepart of the last sliding readily along the smooth upper surfaces of the shank and sock lining, and the shoe is allowed to dry. while still upon the last.

hen the flaps 17 and 18 of the lining are laid across the sole as above described they are preferably drawn taut so that they overlap to an excessive degree. Now when the last is inserted in the shoe for relasting, these flaps 17 and 18 which at this stage are pinched between the sock lining and the sole of the shoe and which have been rendered sticky by the cement applied, do not draw out readily from beneath the sock lining so that the effect of relasting is to stretch these portions of the liningand draw themvery tight and smooth about-the surface of the last, thus constituting a true lasting of the lining directly upon the outer surface of the last.

As the adhesive dries the channel lip of the sole as well as any loose portions of the inseam which have not been properly trimmed become set in the solidified cement so that there is little danger that they will curl up during use and form protuberances upon the upper surface of the sole, and'since the flaps 17 and 18 of the lining extend across the inseam and overlap at the central part of the sole, they tend to provide a smooth inner surface which, when covered by the sock lining, furnishes a comfortable and even support for the foot. After relast-' I ing, the shoe may be subjected to any of the usual linisl'iing processes.

Since the lining of the shoe is lasted as above described directly upon the outer surface of the last it conforms with substantial exactitude to the size and contour of the latter, actually being of less circumferential extent than the outer member of the upper, and as the shoe is relasted after the sock lining and shank piece have been placed in position, the interiorof the completed shoe is of the full'size intended.

As the lining is lasted independently of the outer members of the upper, it also is capable of resisting the expansive stresses of material is exposed to View after the shoe is turned, it is possible by smoothing it as above described substantially to eliminate ex-- cessive fullness and wrinkles in it, so that in the completed shoe the reinforce is capable of bearing its proper share of the expansive strain of use and will not cause discomfort to the wearer.

In effect, the shoe comprises two concentric shells, each of which is of the proper intended size, free from wrinkles and Slade ness, and capable of withstandingeiqiansive pressure. much longer than the usual turn shoe and may be made of thin and tender leather which could not be employed in shoes of the usual construction. The employment of thin and tender leather is. made possible not only by the fact that the lining assists in, carrying the expansive pressure but by the permissive. employment of a backing or re inforce 'for the leather of almost any desired thickness.

} \Vhile in the above description certain materials'have been referred to as useful in making the various parts of the upper, it is to beunderstood that such reference is merely by way of example and is not intended in any restrictive sense.- It is also contemplated that while reference beenmade to the employment of a reinforce or backing ply or layer, the use or omission of such reinforce or backing material whether comprising one or a greater number of plies, or the interposition of other layers of material having a different purpose between the outer and inner members of the upper does not in any way affect the principles underlying the process and product herein described. It is also .to be understood that the shank piece and sock lining herein referred to may be replaced by equivalent elements, or omitted entirely so far as some of the broader. aspects of the invention are con cerned.

Vvhile the lining has been described as consisting of a single layer or ply and as free may be varied to a considerable degree with direct.

The shoe thus retains its shape the toe portion being smoothed down and held in position by adhesive in the same manner as the remaining parts of the lining.

While a specific application of the invention has been disclosed, it is to be understood;

that the various steps herein described relate to a preferred illustrative embodiment exemplifying the general. principles underlying the invention, and that various changes and modifications may be made therein as circumstances or experience may 'Ve claim:

1. That process of making :a turn shoe which comprises as steps preparing an outer sole having a marginally extending channel. lip, a multiply upper including a lining, lasting the upper and sewing the'upper to the channel lip of the soleabut leaving the lining free from the sole except around the toe, and turning the shoe. after sewing.

2. That process of making a turn shoe which comprises as steps, preparing an outer sole having a stitch receiving channel, preparing a lined upper, lasting the upper, sewing the outer member of the upper and the lining to the sole by inseam stitches d'is-- 3. That process of making turn shoes which comprises as steps preparing an outer sole by channeling to provide a marginally extending channel lip, preparing an upper consisting of a plurality of plies, lasting the shoe and sewing certain of said plies to the channel lip of the sole substantially all the way around the sole but leaving one ply at least unattached except around the toe, turning the shoe, and thereafter attaching the free edges of said previously unattached ply to the sole.

4t. That process of making turn shoes which comprises as steps preparing an outer sole having a channel lip, preparing an upper having an outer member and a lining, making .ga-sh'es in the lining extending in.- wardly from its edge at either side of the toe portion thereof, lasting and sewing the outer member of the upper and the toe portion of the lining to the channel lip of the sole, leaving the lower edge of the lining rearward of the gashes unattached to the sole, turning the shoe, and permanently attaching the free edges of the lining to the sole.

5. That process of making a turn shoe stitching the outer member of the upper and the lining which comprises as steps preparout seriously affecting the process in general, ing an. outer sole having a channel lip, to

the channel lip of the sole, leaving the lining unattached except around the toe, turning the shoe, spreading the free edge portions of the lining smoothly over the interior surface of the sole, and permanently attaching suche'dge portions of the lining to the sole.

6. That process of making shoes which comprises as steps preparing an upper by seaming together an outer member and a lining, and lasting the outer member of the upper, leaving the major portion of the lining unlasted, and thereafter lasting the major part of the lining.

p 7. That process of making a turn shoe which comprises as steps preparing an upper by seaming together'an outer member and a lining, lasting the outer member of the up per, leaving the major portion of the lining unlasted, turning the shoe, and subsequently lasting the major portion of the lining.

8. That process of making a turn shoe which comprises as steps preparing an upper by seaming together an outer member and a lining. lasting the outer member of the upper and the toe portion only of the lining inside out, turning the shoe, and lasting the remainder of the lining when the shoe is right side out. Y

9. That process of making aturn shoe which comprises as steps preparing an outer sole having a channel lip, lasting the shoe, stitching the outer member of the upper and the lining to the channel lip of the outer sole, leaving the lining unattached except around the toe, turning the shoe, coating the interior surface of the sole with adhesive, spreading the free edges ofthe lining upon the coated surface of the sole, and relasting the shoe.

10. That process of making a turn shoe which comprises as steps lasting the shoe, stitching the outer member of the upper and the lining to the sole, leaving the lining unattached except around. the toe, turning the shoe, spreading the free edge portions of the lining smoothly over the inner surface of the sole, inserting a sock lining, and relasting the shoe and causing the edge portions of the lining to adhere to the upper surface of the sole and to the under surface of the sock lining.

11. That process of making a turn shoe having an upper comprising an outer member, a backing and a lining, which comprises as steps, preparing an outer sole having a channel lip, sewing the outer member, the backing, and the toe portion only of the liningto the channel lip of the sole, turning the shoe, smoothing out wrinkles in the backing, laying the free edge portions of the lining over the inner surface of the sole, and relasting the shoe.

12. That process of. making turn shoes which comprises sewing an upper, comprising a lining, to a sole, leaving the lining unattached except around the toe, turning the shoe, laying the free unattached edge portions of the lining in overlapping relation upon the inner surface of the sole, placing a shank piece upon said overlapped portions of the lining, and securing the shank piece and sole together by a rivet extending through the overlapped portions of the lining. 4

13. That process of making aturn shoe which comprises preparing an upper having an outer member and a backing, the latter being sufficiently strong to carry substan tially all of the stress of wear, said upper also including a lining, lasting and sewing the upper to the sole, leaving the lining unattached except around the toe, turning the shoe, applying adhesive to the inner surface of the sole, laying the surplus free edge portions of the lining over the sole, inserting a sock lining and shank piece in the shoe, and relasting the shoe thereby to conform the lining accurately to the last.

Signed by us at Lynn, Massachusetts, this tenth day of February, 1925.

LYNDON V. GROVER. FRANK SARRA; ADELBERT A. DURKEE.

- eeRnr eAre ereeeeeeriee. Patent No. 1,673,784. emitted" June 12, 1928, to

LYNDON v. eeovee er AL.

It is hereby certified that errer appears in the printed specification in the abeve numbered patent requiring eorreetien as ieiiews: Page 4, lines 128 and--l29, claim 5, strike out the wards "stitching the eeter member of the upper and the lining" and insert the same te feiiow after the Word "lip" in line 130; and that said Letters Patent sheuid be read with this cerreetien therein that the same may ceniorm to the record of the ease in the Patent Gftiee.

Signed and sealed this 17th day 0f July, A. I). 1928.

M. J. Moore, v (Seal) Acting Commissioner 01 Patents. 

